Chronicles of the Crimson Flash
by Kizoku Seishin
Summary: FE8: Across the lands of Magvel, legends and scholars recognized her as the Crimson Flash. Those closer to her simply knew her as Marisa. What happened to her after the Demon King conflict? One-shot, contains some conversation and ending spoilers.


Formal Legal Disclaimer:

Nintendo and Intelligent Systems are the sole proprietors of _Fire Emblem_, and the characters involved within the aforementioned property, and all copyrights of original work. To avoid potential judicial issues within the United States and Japan, the author of _Chronicles of the Crimson Flash_ certifies he will not seek monetary compensation or conceive an exact reproduction of their work by writing and submitting the story (including this, and all subsequent chapters) on this site.

Simplified Legal Disclaimer:

Nintendo and Intelligent Systems own Fire Emblem and the characters in the series. I can't make any money from this story, or copy exact work without facing an international lawsuit from Nintendo.

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_Chronicles of the Crimson Flash_

The Demon King conflict, or as some scholars call it, the War of the Stones ended. Many legendary heroes came emerged during the conflict. The major legends were the Restoration King and Queen from Renais, the twin siblings who became the leaders during the conflict. Many more heroes emerged from that war. They included The Silver Knight from Renais, The Prodigy, the Tempest King and Desert Tiger from Jehanna, the Obsidian that switched sides from Grado, the Queen of Light from Rausten, and the Great Dragon from Darkling Woods.

However, many people forgot that the legendary Crimson Flash was also a soldier in that war. Many scholars believed the majority of her feats occurred after the war, and the citizens across Magvel often forget that she was involved in the Demon King conflict. She was not essential like the Tempest King or the Desert Tiger – whom she worked under. Despite that, any soldier and monster that dared to oppose her died by her sword.

Before the war, the Crimson Flash, or using her given name, Marisa, earned her mark as a ruthless mercenary that eliminated her targets in a skillful and efficient manner. Those who realized she was in the opposing part opted to flee from the battle, instead of having their life end with her blade.

After the war, Marisa continued to work in a mercenary force after the war. She only did so because she either greatly respected, or fell in love with her commander. Many scholars confirmed that the commander was none other than the Desert Tiger.

However, at some point, Marisa decided to leave the guild. The popular speculation among scholars is that she became heartbroken when the commander gave his heart to a dancer instead of her.

Another accepted theory of her departure was that she sought to pursue her own interests. Some also believed she did not want to take over leadership of the group, as the commander retired in a few months after her resignation.

After she left the guild, many remembered Marisa a freelance mercenary working with Frelia for about a year. Under the orders of Frelian princess, she met the challenges of various bandits who wanted to remain near the borders and terrorize travelers and citizens. Many watched as several bandits fell to her blade with relative ease. Even with bounties on her head from various bandit groups, none of them could touch her without meeting eventual death. With aid from Frelian troops, the towns grew safer, and the Crimson Flash became a local legend.

However, Marisa felt incomplete as her contract with Frelia ended. All the scholars agreed that she did not care about being a hero, or living a comfortable life. She only wished to surpass the greatest swordsman she knew. Some initially speculated that the swordsman was the Tempest King. However, evidence from those who revealed personal accounts with her suggested that the man was her father, another legendary mercenary from Jehanna.

She returned to the desert land of Jehanna, and met the legendary Tempest King again. Many scholars stated that the Tempest King offered her a post as an elite general in the Jehanna army after he learned of the stories from Frelia. She refused the post, but after a practice spar that he won, she agreed.

Some speculate that this was another bet from the Tempest King, as many knew him to be a chronic gambler. More scholars believe that the Tempest King was only the second person, perhaps after the Desert Tiger, to defeat the Crimson Flash in any battle after the War of the Stones.

Marisa stayed in Jehanna for several years and trained over two hundred soldiers in the sword arts, while obtaining a reputation and position as the top sword fighter in the land. Soon, many traveled to Jehanna to see if they could defeat her in a spar with swords, but all of them failed. Bandits that dared to raid Jehanna also met their end at the hands of the Crimson Blades, the battalion of soldiers under the direct supervision and training of the Crimson Flash.

Without notice, Marisa opted to resign from her post as a general of the Jehanna army, which displeased several people. Many wrote stories that she grew tired of fighting, but many scholars noted that she always trained harder to become the best sword master, and that she opted to become a freelance mercenary once again. Some stated that she felt her life was incomplete, that she missed something.

Over the years, which began in her service in Jehanna, many suitors from various countries approached Marisa with offers of marriage. Despite the fact that there are many folk songs, stories, and poems about the beauty of the Crimson Flash, nearly all the scholars suggested that she did not care for marriage. Some speculated that her suitors appeared trivial and weak. Some stated she did not socialize often with other people. A few rumors also suggested that since she lost the man she loved to another woman, she never allowed herself to love another man.

Her legend grew as Marisa continued her battles around the continent, defeating or killing anyone who dared to oppose her blade, whether they were greedy bandits, corrupt nobles, or conceited sword masters. Her fame reached across the continent as bards wrote folksongs, and authors wrote stories about her feats.

Some say that she pursued the dream to surpass her father until she died in a tragic accident. While she pursued bandits that sought to invade northern Grado, an avalanche caused by another earthquake crushed her body, burying her alive.

Her grave is marked as a national landmark in her home country of Jehanna. In the capital, a statue exists outside the imperial palace to this day to honor her service in the Jehanna military, while many citizens revered her as a legendary hero. The battalion of soldiers she led kept the name of the Crimson Blades to honor the legend of the Crimson Flash. The name passed down from generation to generation, and it still exists as of today.

Those close to Marisa in her final years heard her say she was at the base of the mountain in terms of surpassing her father. However, many scholars remarked that she surpassed the peak the moment she became an elite general in Jehanna, and the best sword master on the continent.

—The End—

A/N: I wanted to write a one-shot fic about a Fire Emblem character. I chose Marisa, because her aloof personality intrigued me. If people enjoyed this, perhaps I'll write more of them while I continue working on my Naruto fic.

In addition, I give kudos to anyone who can name the characters in the first paragraph, but I'm sure it's not that difficult.


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